Call it leadership by example.

The Orange rode the hot bats of two familiar faces last weekend en route to a perfect 4-0 record at the Breast Cancer Strikeout Classic in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Alexis Switenko and Cassie Morales, the only seniors on the young Syracuse softball team, hit a combined four home runs and drove in a total of 17 runs during the four-game tournament.

‘Once we got our first win, everyone felt more relaxed,’ Switenko said. ‘Everyone really understands their roles right now and we’re playing as a team.’

On the first day of the tournament, SU (4-5) posted two five-inning, mercy-rule victories over host Middle Tennessee State and Loyola-Chicago, 9-1 and 12-3 respectively. On Sunday, the Orange defeated Lipscomb, 7-3, and Tennessee-Martin, 6-3.

In the process of winning four games, the two seniors did a little record breaking, too.

Switenko broke the SU records for career home runs (23) and runs batted in (91), both records previously held by Tanya Rose. She also won her first game in the circle since April 24, 2003, against Siena by scattering two earned runs and five hits in three innings against Loyola-Chicago.

‘I wasn’t even aware of the RBI record,’ Switenko said. ‘It was great to break them, but it was also exciting to finally win.’

She was named Big East Player of the Week on Monday for just the second time in her career.

SU head coach Mary Jo Firnbach is not surprised at what Switenko has done, but that she is doing it despite taking on new responsibilities this season.

‘(Alexis) has a different role for us this year,’ Firnbach said. ‘Because of extenuating circumstances she has to pitch. That’s tough to be in that mindset all of a sudden as a senior.’

Morales set a new record herself in career doubles on Saturday when she smacked the 41st and 42nd of her career. That record was previously held by Rose as well.

‘Cassie and I are very different in our approaches to things, but I think it balances the whole team out,’ Switenko said. ‘We both just take things differently and go about it our own way. It’s always worked for us and we’ve always played well together.’

It is obvious that whatever way the seniors go, the entire Orange team will follow.

‘Since after freshman year we’ve known this leadership role has been coming,’ Morales said. ‘It’s something we expected.’

Playing teams lacking the national profile and prestige that the Orange tangled with in its first five games in Arizona, Firnbach said it was important for her team to lead early.

‘This was a weekend that we needed to build the confidence of some of our younger players,’ she said.

In the second game on Saturday against Loyola-Chicago, the Orange scored 12 runs in the bottom half of the first inning, capped off by a Morales grand slam in her second at-bat in the inning, only the third slam in SU history.

When it was all said and done, Syracuse sent 16 batters to the plate – 10 had hits and three reached on Loyola-Chicago errors. Morales had five runs batted in during the first inning alone.

‘A lot of the girls are seeing the ball better,’ Morales said. ‘Personally, I picked up the ball a lot better timing-wise this past weekend than before.’

With the first wins finally out of the way and a few records already smashed, Firnbach is looking forward to the rest of Switenko’s senior season.

‘Alexis has done a great job through her four years here,’ Firnbach said. ‘She bleeds orange and blue; she did when she signed the papers here. She was a tough recruit to sign, because she was indecisive where she wanted to go.

‘We don’t regret having her here by any means. She’s done a great job here being the first No. 44.’

Published on February 28, 2006 at 12:00 pm